Plymouth boss reveals budget which saw Portsmouth's rivals win title ahead of Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday & Co

But the Blues have been told by rivals Plymouth just how much it can cost to escape the third tier – and it’s not as much as others have spent.

John Mousinho’s men are set to be busy this summer, with 9-10 new faces earmarked to arrive at Fratton Park in the window.

And to achieve that, sporting director Rich Hughes told The News that owners Tornante are planning to add extra financial muscle to bolster Pompey’s latest promotion push.

It comes after the Blues missed out on the play-offs for the third straight season, while rivals Ipswich, Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday & Co claimed the top six spots.

Indeed, the Pilgrims were the surprise package of the campaign as they claimed the title on the final day - with a budget believed to be much smaller than Pompey’s, who annual spend would sit around the top eight in the division.

Both Plymouth and the Blues’ budget would be no-where near the figures splashed out by the Tractor Boys and the Owls.

So a week after their success, boss Steven Schumacher has lifted the lid on what financial backing he received to help guide his side to the Championship.

Speaking to Plymouth Live, he said: ‘What we have done this year with our budget, it's unbelievable. We started the season with a £3.7m budget and finished it with £4.1m because we strengthened in January - and that's everything included.

‘That's not just on player wages, that's agents' fees, bonuses, relocation, accommodation, medical insurance - everything. We won the league with £4m.

‘We are going to get that extra investment we get in the Championship. I think Simon (Hallett, Argyle's chairman and majority owner) has said on record we will get all of that extra £7m.

‘So our budget is going to be in and around £11m-£12m. There are teams in League One that are spending more than that this year, but we understood that.

‘We understand we have got to try and recruit smarter and punch above our weight. We managed to do that this year on £4m, if we can manage to do that next year on £11m-£12m then so be it.’